


Collection of Misfits

by Nifawiwa



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternative realities, Fix-It, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, I CREATE MY OWN SCIENCE OKAY it's just so confusing, I needed some Peter and Loki action okay, Infinity Gems, Kinda, Loki Redemption, Loki got unwillingly dragged along, Magic oooh, Not Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Compliant, Parallel Universes, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Peter Parker is capableTM, Post-Infinity War, Ragnarok still happened but Hela wasn't apart of it, Slow Burn, Soul Gem (Marvel), Temporary Character Death, Traveling through parallel universes, here Hela is more like from mythology, honestly this isn't really based on anything and is just my fantasies running wild, no beta we die like men, not Marvel Science based, or we'll see how that turns out I guess, well kinda, wish-fulfillment basically, you'll get it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-18 08:20:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15481575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nifawiwa/pseuds/Nifawiwa
Summary: The last thing Peter expected after dying was waking up-- the next thing was being offered a chance to save everyone. While the means - hopping through parallel universes in a search for a Soul Stone - seem daunting beyond measurement, Peter doesn't think twice.Besides, he wouldn't be alone. And while a not-exactly-amused Loki is far from being ideal company, Peter takes what he can get.





	1. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be biting more than I can chew but oh well--
> 
> I'll manage *cough*
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The notion of drowning.

The feeling of immense pressure from all sides, failure of lungs due to inhaling water, the pull towards the dark vastness and the indescribable fear coursing through your veins, your heart beating as if there was no tomorrow.

And usually there wasn't.

The young teen was all too familiar with this horrifying sensation, having witnessed his awaiting demise beneath him far too clearly. And with all his recent adventures, he had encountered Death on his doorstep far too many times. Each experience seemed worse than the last and certainly left a mark on the unfortunate soul, coming back to haunt him at night. But every instance he hung to life desperately. Shut his eyes tight and turned away. He always had a _purpose_ , a _meaning_ , and most of all, _his_ _youth_ , so it appeared almost... impossible, as if Death's clutches could never reach him. They tried many times, and he simply kept slipping away. As if by just believing in Life he would forever be out of harm's way.

As if _it_ would never give up on him.

Yes, Peter knew how it felt to drown and sense icy dead fingers reaching out to grab you and pull you down.

Somehow... his current state seemed much more horrible.

Perhaps because those merciless hands finally wrapped around him without any intent of letting go.

Perhaps because he simply wasn't ready. He couldn't have been.

Or maybe just because the young boy was terrified of his fate, and the only thought that cut through that suffocating mist was how much he didn't want to die.

Whatever the reason was, this time Peter faced Death without any hope of running away.

Literally and figuratively speaking.

However.

One moment it felt as if he was being torn apart and compressed back at the same time, the other – something strange pulled him and before the teen knew it, it all ceased. It took him a moment, or maybe much longer, to realize he could actually _inhale._ The stunned soul quietly gasped at the revelation, but was left more baffled than before – no matter how many gusts of this strangely damp air he took in, it didn't seem to fill his lungs like he would have wanted. As if... they were merely decorations in his oddly still body.

Finally, Peter managed to snap his eyes open.

At first, he believed he had gone blind, since he was met only with darkness. However, as his sight began to adjust, an idea struck him that he was probably simply in a very dim-lighted room. At least, the teen thought he was. Frankly speaking, he wasn't certain at what he was staring. Peter narrowed his eyes slightly at the gray plane in front of him, trying to comprehend what exactly he was seeing.

After a longer moment than he would have liked to admit, he realized it was a _ceiling._

And Peter was, in fact, laying down.

The boy blinked rapidly for a second and lightly pursed his lips in confusion.

How exactly did he get here?.. Whatever _here_ was.

...What had he been doing anyway? For some reason, his memory failed him.

Finally, the teen decided he would figure out nothing if he continued to stay like that. So he slowly, almost hesitantly began propping himself up, his eyes darting around the dark place he found himself in.

Initially, Peter hadn't realized how _far away_ the ceiling actually hung. Or how giant this room was. Or, to be more exact, hall. Ridiculously high walls with some sort of weird carvings that one couldn't make out in this lighting adorning them stretched as far as the eye could see, gigantic pillars standing besides them. In between those massive columns small fires the color of rich emerald danced with their tips barely reaching the top of the marble bases. They illuminated the enormous hall in a dim dark green lighting-- it sent a chilling sensation down the unfortunate soul's back and injected unexplainable distress into his veins. As if their shadows were slowly creeping towards him, quite like those rotting hands, threatening to pull him back into that void--

It would be correct to point out that Peter actually didn't pay much attention to all those details.

In fact, his wide eyes were trained on a certain point a bit further in front of him.

Gasping quietly, the teen quickly tried to lift himself off the strangely smooth ground, yet he found such a usually simple action to be quite challenging in his current state. He had absolutely no idea where he was, why he was there, and who or _what_ was in front of him, so it came as no surprise that he had difficulty controlling his shaky movements. Nevertheless, soon enough he was more or less standing on his two feet, albeit was actually feeling otherwise.

There, around twenty meters away from him, laid several steps leading up to a dark, uncanny throne made of... Peter feared to even speculate. On it sat what the boy presumed to be a person, or at least he hoped. They had their elbow resting against an armrest with their head placed in their sickeningly pale palm, were draped in such strange robes and wore such an odd black crown with long slick horns that Peter was left more lost than before, if that was even possible. However, what struck him the most was the being's face – even in this terrible lighting, he could easily see the person was a woman. On any other occasion, she may have appeared gorgeous, but she bore such a displeased expression that the teen was struck with a new emotion.

Raw fear.

However, before he could as much as move a muscle or form a coherent thought, the woman spoke:

''Out of all those trillions and trillions of souls... _of course_ it had to be a scrawny mortal child,'' her sleek dripping with annoyance voice rang through the giant hall, the chilling sound tearing through the silence as if it were Peter's flesh. Her cold, merciless eyes bore straight into the teen's soul. He froze. ''No, why would fate ever smile upon me? Why would the Norns ever grace me with fortune? _Of course_ they would choose to mock me, no matter the circumstances.''

Peter was certain he heard every single booming word this woman spoke, and yet none seemed to hold any sense to him.

He wished to ask, to mutter even a single syllable or even a sound, but his throat had completely closed off to him. The boy couldn't do anything at all-- as if his whole body had been paralyzed by that being's voice.

''Ah, well, I suppose at least he _is_ better than nothing,'' she muttered more to herself this time. After a quiet sigh, she lifted her head and straightened up. The air around her changed immediately. Peter thought his eyes had to be deceiving him-- a small, charming smile now tugged at the woman's lips. Somehow, it felt even more unsettling. ''Allow me to introduce myself then – I am Hela, ruler of Hel and the Goddess of Death.''

_Ruler of... what?_

The words kept ringing through the boy's mind, each time louder than the last, ripping through his head precisely, banging in every corner, begging to be understood--

Then, as if a chilling wave, realization crashed upon him.

All the memories came racing back at once, overwhelming Peter with their colorfulness and forcing him to slightly stumble back. His hands flew to his mouth as a shaky gasp got stuck in his throat.

''I...'' the teen managed to choke out. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and his whole body seemed to shake. ''I'm... I-I... I-I died..?''

Truthfully speaking, he wasn't sure whether that was a question or a statement.

Most likely the latter.

The woman observed him with mild mirth.

It took all of Peter's strength to formulate other words.

''I-I died a-and... went t-to _hell?_ '' he breathed out. Quickly after, he shook his head and took another hasty step back. ''No, no, t-this can't be true... I-I can't... I can't be... Not y-yet...'' Black dots began dancing in his vision. He gripped the sides of his face tightly and wished to shut his eyes but couldn't move them an inch. His chest grew heavier by the moment and he was certain if not for his strange lungs he would have chocked. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he registered he was still wearing his suit. ''I-I can't be in hell... I can't be dead... Please tell me this a horrific nightmare,'' the last part he whispered to himself.

The being, _Hela_ , huffed and, to his surprise, rolled her eyes.

''And it had to be a _Midgardian_ on top of it,'' he grumbled, pinching her nose-bridge. After a short moment, she composed herself back. ''You're wrong, this is my domain, and yes, it indeed is the realm of the dead, but not... whatever you Midgardians came up with to satisfy your fantasies of never-ending torture,'' her voice had an edge of amusement to it. ''It would do you no good to continue panicking-- you are in no position to change anything, so why fret? While your childish antics are somewhat entertaining, I would prefer to head straight to the point.''

However, seeing as how the boy showed no signs of calming down, instead, his state seemed to worsen by the second, Hela sneered:

''You are supposed to be an _idol_ for your people, their _hero_ and _this_ is how you react upon meeting death? How disgraceful.''

Honestly, the woman wasn't surprised he was reacting this way. Most who have ever stood in these halls and realized their fate had freaked at least to some degree, it was only natural. However, at the moment Hela didn't have the time nor patience for it.

Her words seemed to do the trick, though.

Peter blinked once, twice, and finally lifted his misty eyes back to her. He stared blankly at the woman for a few shameful moments before it clicked.

''W-Wait, I-- y-you know who I am?'' the teen spoke perhaps too quietly for any other person to hear. Not for his host.

''Of course, I know every part of every soul that ever enters my realm, nothing can be hidden here,'' Hela answered simply, yet her eyes twinkled with delight and... something else. ''And after learning about yours, Peter Parker of Midgard, I thought you'd be much more resilient. Was I wrong?''

And just like that, Peter thought his face flared. Slowly, he lowered his arms and instead hugged himself, shrinking a bit back. He was still nowhere calm, but after being ridiculed by this presumed goddess, he felt embarrassment creeping in.

_Freaking out is no way to deal with this._

''I don't-- I mean, I haven't exactly been, um, _dead_ before, so this is, uhh, it's-- I don't know how I should, you know, what I should do,'' he murmured while trying to actively avoid the other's piercing gaze. His tongue felt like sandpaper. A shudder ran down his spine and he hugged himself tighter.

_This is so unsettling... All of it._

Hela observed the fidgeting soul for a couple of moments, humming, before she sighed once more.

''Well, if it _eases_ your nerves – you won't be visiting Helheim for long. Soon, I shall send you back to the land of the living. Well, as long as you'll be co-operative,'' her voice sounded strangely irked. ''So would you be a darling and let us finally get on with this? Honestly, you don't exactly have the luxury to take your sweet time coming with terms with your fate, not when I'm still debating about it.''

Peter's eyebrows shot up and he momentarily froze.

A million questions began racing through his disheveled mind, which had quite a difficult time comprehending the situation, moreover when new information kept being dumped onto it.

So in the end, only a single one left his lips.

''I'm sorry, what?''

It summed up his state pretty well, though.

''Alright, let's try a different approach then,'' Hela clapped her hands and tilted her head a bit forward. ''You shut up, I talk. No questions until I say so. Only speak when allowed. Is that clear?''

The teen opened his mouth, but quickly shut it and gave a tentative nod.

That was perhaps a decent plan.

''Good. I assume you're at least partly familiar with the circumstances of your death, yes? How much do you know?''

Peter chewed on his lower lip for a bit and averted his eyes, thinking intently. The memories... were not pleasant. He could feel his insides twisting. Or at least he thought so.

However, before he could answer, a sudden thought struck him.

''Um, I'm sorry, but why do you ask?.. I thought you said you knew everything about me?..'' he looked back at the woman, his brows furrowed.

But when he saw the blank expression she was wearing, he quickly realized his mistake.

''Oh no, please forgive me, I didn't-- no questions, yes, right,'' Peter held his hands up defensively, taking yet another step back.

Hela clicked her tongue.

''I will know if you keep this up. You have yet to completely walk through my halls, so some information is still unknown to me. It would be in your best interest if it remained that way,'' an obvious threat resounded in her voice.

Peter gulped unconsciously and nodded hastily.

''Wonderful. Now do answer my previous question.''

''Yes, right...'' he murmured and inhaled a shaky breath. He had to compose himself. ''I don't... really know a lot, um... We were fighting this, uh, Thanos guy, who wanted to-- who was going to kill a lot of people, so we, of course, had to stop him. And we were very close, too, like, I almost had his glove or whatever it was of, but then--'' Peter cut himself off when he noticed how unimpressed the other appeared at his ramblings. _Excessive information, Peter, get yourself together._ ''A-Anyway, in the end he defeated us and this, um, magician gave him a thing called... Was it, uh, the Time Gem or something... Thanos already had a lot of similar things, and they seemed very important to him. Like his power source I guess? I'm not really-- no one actually told me much about that. But anyway, after that he left, and...'' he once again stopped and licked his dry lips. This was the most difficult part. Recalling everything... it made everything seem much worse. ''T-Then, everyone around me began... disappearing. Like, they were-- they just turned to... dust in an instant. A-And I felt... I suddenly felt so much pain... I realized I was going to... I was...'' Peter shut his eyes. His shaking voice was giving up on him, and he wrapped his arms around himself again. His next words were barely above a whisper. ''And I left him there. I left him alone. I died while he... H-He...''

The stinging in his eyes became unbearable, his throat started aching. Swallowing, Peter hastily rubbed the threatening to spill tears away.

He didn't wish to relive that particular memory. Even the mere thought of that horrific part... It clawed at Peter's already scarred heart. He knew, _he knew_ there was nothing he could do now, but his rational thinking couldn't manage to drive away all that desperation and helplessness.

Tony's devastating expression was forever engraved in his mind.

''Mmhm, I see, so you basically know as little as possible,'' Hela spoke without batting an eye at Peter's state. Strangely enough, it somehow helped. ''Quite inconvenient, but oh well. I suppose I should brief you on what the _Infinity Stones_ actually are before we continue.''

And so she did.

For awhile Peter was more focused on composing himself, but soon enough all that wondrous information overtook him and he listened to Hela's words intently, making sure to catch every single one. Frankly speaking, even if such unearthly things terrified him to some degree, it also fascinated him immensely. To think there was so much that was still undiscovered... Quickly enough the teen endorsed himself in it and for at least a short while managed to keep his troubling thoughts at bay.

All good things must come to an end, though.

Once Hela ended her “briefing”, Peter stared at her for a couple of moments in awe.

''Whoa, that was... I had no idea...'' he breathed out. ''I think I need a moment to get my head wrapped around all this...''

''Unfortunately, we can't spare a single moment,'' Hela huffed and leaned forward. ''Now that you're more or less familiar with the concept, we must continue. As you are already aware, Thanos succeeded in collecting all of the Infinity Stones, which resulted in him using their power to wipe out half the Universe's population, you included.''

Peter fidgeted with his hands nervously. Yes, he was very much aware of that part.

''However,'' her voice laced with ire boomed through the hall. ''Since he used the Soul Stone, each and every soul he manipulated was sent to the Soul Stone's dimension. Do you realize what that means?''

''Uh...''

''It means that Thanos just robbed me of _half a universe's worth of souls_ ,'' Hela hissed through clenched teeth. ''Never before have I been this greatly offended. I cannot stand by any longer and allow this behavior.''

Peter was at a loss of words for a moment. Little by little, he was beginning to understand where this woman was heading, but nevertheless...

''So, um, sorry, but, you're saying you want all those, uh, souls to-- to come here instead?..''

Hela arched a brow.

''And have enough work to last me a decade? No, of course not. What I want-'' she finally stood up and took a step forward. ''-is to free them so I could collect them when their time comes. I have no desire to welcome them all at once, but the mere thought of losing so many souls for eternity is unbearable.''

''Oh... I understand, makes sense,'' Peter answered quietly. Suddenly, a thought struck him. ''Wait, if you said that all-- everyone who was, uh, killed by the Soul Stone was sent there, how come I'm here?..''

''Well, the moment I realized what Thanos had done, I knew I had to act. Maybe there would have been a better solution, but, well, I wasn't planning to wait and see. So when all those souls began “flowing” for a lack of a more suitable word, I managed to snatch one away before it entered the Soul Stone's dimension. So here you are,'' Hela gestured offhandedly at her guest. ''Really, you should be on your knees thanking me for sparing you from whatever fate awaited you _there_.''

Peter wasn't sure whether she was serious about that last part.

He decided to play it safe.

''Uhh... Well, t-thank you,'' he stuttered out with hesitance. A quiet '' _I guess_ '' followed.

For a quick moment, Hela seemed taken aback, but quickly amusement overtook her features.

''You're an interesting one,'' the corners of her lips twitched upwards.

Or perhaps that was... unnecessary.

No one could blame him for feeling lost, though.

''A-Anyway,'' he murmured, folding his arms, then crossing them. ''How, um, exactly can me being here help?.. I'm just, well, one person... Not sure what-- what I can do that I hadn't tried when I was, um, yeah,'' he winced at the last part.

''Oh I know,'' Hela shrugged. ''You're a child that can die way too easily for it not to be an evolutionary flaw, which you just did, and even with such powerful teammates you didn't stand a chance against Thanos who only had three Infinity Stones at that moment, and now he has all six, making him completely unstoppable by any means you're capable of thinking and actually doing. So yes, you stand absolutely no chance against him.''

Now that she said it all so bluntly, his insignificance made itself agonizingly known.

Each time he stopped a robbery or saved someone from getting hit by a car, butterflies fluttered with excitement in his chest, because he felt like he was making a difference, like he was _important._ People looked up to him, saw him as a _hero_ , and Peter was just beginning to believe it himself. He wasn't, after all, hesitant at all when it came to boarding that space ship, agreeing to fight Thanos, _actually doing it_ , but in the end...

Peter clenched his jaw and lowered his gaze to the floor.

Yes, the boy was well aware how helpless he actually was.

''So naturally, I didn't bring you here expecting you to be able to face him, I'm not stupid,'' Hela shrugged, seemingly ignorant of Peter's inner turmoil. Or perhaps the exact opposite. ''Defeating Thanos is not my goal, really. Your problems are your own to deal with, well, they were until he messed with _my_ territory. I'm only concerned about that, so you don't have to worry about being too weak to kill him. Oh no, I have a much different proposal in mind which includes you not spilling any blood and maybe even becoming a _hero_ to your people and friends,'' amusement twinkled in her eyes. ''That sounds nice, doesn't it?''

Peter hesitantly lifted his eyes back to Hela. Honestly, her words seemed far too good to be true, and they probably were. He had to be cautious, doubtful of everything she was saying, he at least understood that much. This woman didn't exactly appear trustworthy... Nevertheless, even with all that disbelief clouding his mind, Peter also felt excitement and hope slowly creeping in. If somehow he was actually granted such a chance...

An entertaining thought which included some long forgotten references flickered in his mind and he felt the corner of his lips lift slightly upwards.

''What, does it include time traveling or something?'' he breathed out with a weak shake of his head. The mere idea dazed him.

''Of course not,'' Hela snapped, her demeanor changing in an instant, which startled Peter greatly. ''”Time traveling” is a terrible insult to me. Imagine welcoming a soul, and then having it _taken away_ just like that. Robbing from my realm results in _many years_ of torture when I they finally come here,'' she hissed. ''So no, that is not an option.''

Peter felt his mouth dry out.

''O-Oh, I'm very sorry, I didn't-- I didn't mean to offend you, really,'' he spoke hastily, waving his hands, before realization hit him. ''W-Wait... You remember... what happened before time was turned back?''

Hela seemed to contemplate his words for a few moments.

''Yes and no,'' she finally answered slowly. ''Let's just say once Hel tastes a soul, it never forgets its flavor.''

_Well that's... haunting._

''Anyway, let's get back on track,'' Hela flattened a few wrinkles on her robe. ''What I have in mind is a bit different – there are ways to undo the Soul Stone's powers, but the one which would be most suitable for you is simply destroying it,'' she said with a shrug, but seeing the slowly blossoming expression of disbelief and horror on the other's face, quickly added: ''Well, perhaps not _directly_ destroying it. Rather... Acquiring the means which would do so for you. What you would need to do-'' she spoke clearer as she took a step forward. ''-is to retrieve another Soul Stone. Two Infinity Stones of the same kind cannot exist in the same universe, so the weaker one, most likely the one in Thanos's possession, would shatter, thus freeing everything trapped there. The most ideal outcome.''

Peter knitted his eyebrows together. It took a few moments for everything she said to sink in, and when it did, he spoke slowly:

''But how would I--'' then suddenly, realization hit him. His eyes widened comically and he stumbled back a bit. ''If there isn't one it this universe, then I'd have to... No, you can't possibly mean..!''

''Search in parallel universes, yes,'' a delighted smirk graced Hela's lips. ''Most mortal beings refuse to acknowledge the existence of them, so this makes things less complicated. Yes, at the moment your only chance is traveling through multiple parallel universes and finding a second Soul Stone. After that,'' she snapped her fingers. ''Our lives would become much, _much_ easier. Sounds nice?''

''I...'' Peter breathed out and gripped the side of his head, shaking it. ''I may need to sit down. This-- This is a lot to take in. It's all so... Holy shit. I mean, _parallel universes_? Somehow I think time travel would've been easier to accept,'' a weak, shaky laugh escaped his lips.

Hela rolled her eyes with a sigh.

''I'd like to not waste anymore time now, sweetheart,'' she placed her hands on her hips. ''Let's move to the contract now, shall we?

''C-Contract?'' Peter blinked in slight confusion. ''There'll be an actual contract? Like in that old movie “ _Bedazzled_ ”?''

He quickly slapped himself mentally afterwards for that last comment.

''Well, obviously,'' Hela chose to ignore it, though. ''Any deals with me are made through contracts. I state the terms, you ask any questions, then agree, sounds simple enough, right?''

It didn't slip past the teen how this woman just assumed he would comply with everything she told him. Of course, if he had a chance to _change_ something, he would obviously take it without a second thought, but this... He had a lot, _a lot_ of questions before that.

So he nodded.

''Wonderful,'' her lips stretched into a pleased smile. ''The terms are as follows: I shall grant you a power that will allow you to travel through multiple parallel universes. Your goal is to find and retrieve a Soul Stone, then bring it back to me. After the one that is in Thanos's possession is destroyed and all those souls taken by the Stone fled to my realm, I shall release them. However,'' she spoke sharply and held up a finger. ''I shall keep one for myself. It will not reside in Helheim, though- instead, I will consume it, which means an afterlife for them, obviously and reincarnation, will be cut off to them forever.''

''Uh, I don't really understand the last one..?'' Peter spoke quietly. Worry began coursing through him. ''And why it is included?..''

''It's quite simple, really-- every soul I consume expands my strength tremendously, but I can't take them whenever I want. The only way to get them is through a deal. And since all the souls taken by the Soul Stone are connected,'' she flashed a grin at him. ''One speaks for all of them. In this case – you.''

Peter's blood ran cold.

If he understood Hela correctly, which he most likely did – he would be condemning someone to non-existence, or something even worse, in exchange to saving everyone else. One soul on the surface seemed like a small price to pay for trillions, but...

It would haunt Peter until his end.

''And there's no way you would recon--''

''No,'' she cut him off harshly. ''You're in no position to negotiate.''

Peter bit his lower lip, fidgeting in place. Gears kept turning in his head, but nothing connected. No matter what thoughts bubbled up, they were all worthless. At the moment, he couldn't change anything, and he was painfully aware of it.

The teen knew one thing, though – he couldn't let this chance slip. He could only hope he'd figure out how to avoid this term later.

''...Okay, alright,'' he finally answered in a murmur. ''I still have a few questions, though.''

''I'm listening.''

Peter took a deep breath.

''How will I be able to find that Soul Stone if it's _unknown_ to people? How long will I have? Is there a limit to how many places I can visit? In what form will that _power_ be? How will I know how to use it? What will happen to the Stone afterwards? How will they all return if their bodies... disappeared? What if I _die_ again? What if someone here figures out how to free them faster?'' he shot question after question. There were most likely much more left, but those were the ones that first came to his mind.

Hela folded her arms and huffed.

''Darling, you are wasting my time with your meaningless curiosities,'' she gazed at him in warning. ''You only need to know this: time and places are mostly important to _you_. There is no actual limit. Afterwards your people may have the Stone, I couldn't care less. And if you die, well, you die and the deal is off. Same with someone breaking the Stone quicker – only you'd be stranded on whatever universe you were visiting at that moment. All the more reason to not waste time,'' she flashed a devilish smile at him. ''You look like a smart boy, you should be able to figure out everything else.''

_...Dully noted._

''Consider all my words as terms. And you know what? I'm feeling generous today. I'll even gift you with a companion, a sort of guide if you may from my personal collection,'' Hela tilted her head to the side and placed her hands on her hips, examining Peter from top to bottom. ''With that soul of yours, there's no doubt you would find yourself in some mortal danger, it'd be a shame really if that were the end. So be nice and they could even save you one day, too,'' she spoke with a scoff. For some reason, her voice was overflowing with ridicule. ''Any more questions?''

However, before Peter had a chance to open his mouth, Hela was talking once again:

''Perfect, now shall we continue?''

''I... I guess so,'' the boy spoke in a soft, slightly wavering voice. He bit the inside of his cheek. ''So, um, what now?''

''Now-'' the woman descended the stairs down and extended her hand. ''-we seal the contract.''

Peter blinked at her a few times and furrowed his brows.

''Just-- Just a handshake?..''

''Well, what were you expecting, signing in blood?''

''I'm, uh, not sure really.''

After a moment of silence, he finally began hesitantly approaching the frightening being.

Millions of thoughts were running through his mind, but only one registered as he gripped her hand.

How cold and dead her skin felt.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every kudos and comment is greatly appreciated! I'm not kidding when I say I live off them. Most days my motivation kinda really depends on that, so if you could take a minute I'd really really be grateful. 
> 
> Nonetheless, thank you very much for reading! See you next time!


	2. Ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept rewriting this particular chapter over and over so uhhh I hope in the end it turned out okay??? Somewhat at least gah
> 
> Can't keep rewriting after all

Something was digging painfully into the side of Peter's back, even through that oh-so well-developed armor. The aching was slowly spreading, and its treads managed to reach the depths of Peter's mind and grasp at his consciousness. They clung to it and kept tightening with each passing moment, until, finally, the boy vaguely noticed them.

After that, the haziness began clearing as the nagging pain kept becoming more prominent.

It wasn't before long that Peter stirred and opened his eyes to the blinding sun.

For a brief, terrifying ( _relieving_ ) moment, he thought he was back on Titan. That whatever happened was somehow... reversed, fixed, or just a sickeningly twisted vision.

His relief was short lived, though – the sky above him was an all-too-familiar striking light blue with not a single cloud in sight instead of the filthy orange.

The sight should have brought him joy. Instead, a sickening lump formed in his throat.

For some reason, his senses were dripping with dread.

The air was strangely heavy, too.

''Well this is rather new.''

A sharp, cold voice from somewhere further away reached Peter's ears, making him visibly jump from surprise. This caused whatever was jabbing into his back to dug deeper and the boy hissed as a wave of fresh pain washed over him. Carefully, he propped himself up on his elbows, sighing in relief as the ache subsided a bit, and promptly looked over the area in the hopes of spotting whoever was speaking.

The sight that greeted him, however, made his heart drop.

Debris dominated the plane. Miles and miles of demolished buildings, only a few left standing. Piles of rubble covered the ground, on which dust had settled a long while ago.

This was a horrible wreckage of a city. A presumably big one at that.

Perhaps even once glorious.

''Not to say that the sight of destruction is,'' the voice spoke again, bringing Peter out of his fixation. Quickly, he snapped his head to its direction and found... a person, standing a couple of dozen meters away from him. He was slowly observing the ruins with what appeared to be a mildly intrigued expression. ''You Midgardians always tended to cause wreckage, especially these days, but somehow you usually seemed to be victorious at the end. New would rise from the ashes of the old... Well, at least that _was_ the case. Luck was obviously not on their side this time,'' he finished thoughtfully.

Peter stared perplexedly at the strange man for a couple of moment.

''Who--'' he swallowed once to moisturize his dry throat. A small cough welled up in his throat. ''W-Who are you? And what... do you mean? What-What is this? _Where_ is this?''

The last question was clearly laced with worry and a tint of panic.

The man finally looked at him. His green eyes seemed to pierce right through Peter's soul.

 _Or whatever was left of it_.

''Well, I can only assume really,'' the stranger spoke a bit absentmindedly. He glanced around the ground once more and approached a strange mechanism laying besides a pile of concrete. Carefully, he picked it up, inspecting it closer. Strangely enough, it seemed awfully familiar to Peter. ''Hah, chitauri weaponry. There was only one time when a chitauri army was led against Midgard... If I had to guess, what we see is the outcome of me actually succeeding. Can't say this is what I expected, though. Can't say I'm surprised either,'' he added as an afterthought.

It took Peter a few moments to connect the dots.

When he did, his eyes widened comically.

''Wait... You mean-- the attack against New York?..'' he breathed out and began scrambling to his feet, however groggily. Once up, he looked once again around the ruins, his heart beating in his throat. His lungs felt strangely heavy and he bit down another cough. ''This... _This_ is New York? I don't-- I don't understand...''

The man wore an odd expression as he observed the obviously distressed teen.

''You do remember what happened, right?''

Peter blinked at the stranger in confusion.

Gears in his head turned.

Finally, it clicked.

''Oh,'' he whispered. '' _Oh._ Oh my god. That was... That was actually real?..'' he covered his mouth with his slightly trembling hand as a chocked out a laugh. His vision began slightly swimming as memories rushed through his mind and bile began rising. ''This is all just-- I _really_ should have stayed on that bus.''

Immediately afterwards Peter lost the battle with his lungs and began coughing dryly. He wrapped his other arm around his torso, hunching a bit from the force. The action left a foul taste in his mouth, making him wince.

''We should leave this wreckage,'' the man proclaimed suddenly. He threw the piece of broken technology back to the pile. ''The air here is most likely contaminated, it would be unwise to remain in this place any longer.''

''O-Okay, yeah, that makes sense,'' Peter breathed out with his eyes closed.

''Then pick up your artifact and follow me,'' the other responded and began navigating through the rubble towards the edge of the ruins.

''My... what?''

Peter furrowed his brows in confusion and quickly glanced around himself. Soon enough, he located a strange object on the ground one feet away, which was probably the only thing in any shape in this place. Hesitantly, yet overwhelmed with great curiosity, Peter lifted it up.

The device appeared to consist of two main parts: a pebble-sized, smooth, round object which seemed to be made of glass and a rather thick metal casing – or it at least felt like it.

He didn't have to wonder long on what this device was, not when he was starting to come to terms with his predicament.

Or was trying to at least.

''Whoa... Is this..?''

''The portal mechanism, yes, so do be careful with it,'' the stranger finished his thought, looking back at Peter. A tint of ire was present in his voice. ''One wrong move and poisonous gas will be the least of your worries.''

The object in the teen's hands suddenly felt significantly heavier.

And more fragile.

''R-Right...'' he murmured and clenched the device tighter, holding it up to his chest.

Another coughing fit shook his frame and that was Peter's cue to start moving.

However, the pair barely took a couple of steps before certain information finally caught up to Peter, making him stop in his tracks. When the realization sunk in, it took another blow on the boy's already shaken soul.

''Wait, all the things you said about New York-- about leading an army and succeeding-- y-you're not, by any chance, that alien with a very strange fashion sense and those giant horns? The one that, um, wanted to take over Earth?..''

Peter winced at his trembling voice. His throat was becoming dry from all those sparking nerves and anxiety.

Though there was undoubtedly also an underlying tone of fascination.

The man paused, closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. When he finally glanced at Peter, he appeared... _tired_?

''Well, unless there was another chitauri attack led by someone with my dazzling appearance, then I suppose yes, that was me,'' a spark of amusement lighted up in his eyes despite his expression. ''And my name is Loki.''

''Right, right, now I remember! I'm sorry, I'm just-- I'm very bad with names, it's nothing personal,'' Peter coughed into his free hand, though this time it was more from awkwardness rather than contaminated air. Both, really. ''But... wow. Holy shit. I don't even know what to say, this is so bizarre!..'' a shaky laugh left his lips. ''I mean, I should probably be, like, shocked or something, but I don't think it's physically possible for me to feel even more shaken after, just... you know, everything. Well, it probably is, but I think I'd just faint instead. Speaking of which,'' Peter blinked a few times and narrowed his eyes. His voice came out much softer than usual. ''Is it just me or is the sun going out?''

Only when he felt being caught did Peter realize he had been approaching the ground at an alarming speed.

''We have remained at this place for far too long, your human body won't be able to survive in this environment for much time now it seems. We must leave immediately,'' a voice next to him resonated in his ears, though it sounded far too distant.

''Ha... Right...'' Peter breathed out in short puffs. He had trouble keeping his eyelids open. Consciousness was quickly slipping away. ''I'm sorry, but... I don't think... I'll be able to... help you with that...''

His vision grew dark.

~

It took Peter a couple of hours in clean air to wake up. Well, as clean as it could get on this seemingly apocalyptic planet. However, even in the heart of a miraculously still standing forest, the effects of the toxic gas from before were still painfully present.

''Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick,'' Peter groaned the moment he found his voice as a wave of nausea hit him. Shakily, he tried pushing himself up on his elbows, but quickly fell back to the ground.

''Your body is cleansing itself – you have no choice but to bear through the process,'' Loki stated matter-of-factly a bit further away from him. Groggily lifting his head, Peter found him sitting cross-legged a few meters away with that strange device in his hands. The man seemed to be examining it.

''Why is it... so severe, though?'' the teen muttered. ''I didn't even feel anything that bad before I started _fainting_.''

''Who knows?'' the other shrugged dismissively. ''Perhaps the poison simply acts that way. Or perhaps your shock quickened its effects.''

''Or both,'' Peter winced. A frustrated sigh left his slightly dry lips – he was _totally_ not making a terrible first impression. What could be worse than fainting only a few minutes after meeting someone?

After a good half a minute Peter began slowly lifting his upper half up and luckily enough managed to lean against a nearby tree. He placed his still slightly trembling hands in his lap and closed his eyes for a moment.

Another tide of nausea washed over him and he moaned quietly.

''Why was that place so infected anyway?'' he voiced his question, opening his eyes and looking at his new companion.

''And how should I know?'' Loki arched an eyebrow at the boy. ''I'm not sure what your _friends_ told you, but I'm not exactly well-informed about your planet's laws of physics, much less a parallel one's.''

''Oh... Oh, right,'' Peter murmured awkwardly, shifting his gaze to the side. ''Sorry, I just thought-- I dunno, you look like someone who knows a lot of stuff. I didn't mean to, um, annoy you or anything.''

The man stared at him for a couple of moments. Peter grew quite uncomfortable under such a gaze.

''Well, my range of knowledgeable is indeed wide, you're not mistaken on that,'' he huffed finally. ''However, even someone as myself can't possibly know the answers to everything,'' A pause. ''And I'm not irritated at you in particular, more like... at my predicament which so happened to involve you.''

Surprisingly enough, a grin appeared on Peter's lips.

''I'm not that dense, Mr Loki, you're annoyed that you're stuck with me, it's obvious, and I understand. I may look like just a kid to you, but soon enough I'll prove myself, you just wait.''

Loki looked at him strangely for some reason, then rolled his eyes and focused back on the device in his hands.

''If you say so, boy.''

His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

That tone felt awfully familiar and it painfully tugged at Peter's heartstrings. He inhaled shakily, but managed to keep silent for the most part.

He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. He had to keep these intruding thoughts at bay for now, it would do him no good if he let them loose.

''Well, anyway,'' Peter gazed at Loki again, forcing cheerfulness into his voice. '' _I'm_ very happy that you're here. At least I'm not alone, y'know. And you seem like much better company than that scary devil lady. Not to say that you're not intimidating, though!'' he suddenly added and held up his hands in defense. ''You're very intimidating, Mr Loki, really, but you just look more, uh, approachable?..'' he finished uncertainly.

''Approachable,'' the man echoed.

''Yeah, like, I don't feel as, um, I guess threatened with you?.. Which is weird, really, since you _did_ attack Earth... But with her it felt as if one wrong move and she'd have my head on a spike, which was probably true actually. That lady was just... very unpleasant,'' Peter shook his head. Then, his eyes widened as a certain thought popped into his head and he snapped panicked gaze back to Loki. ''Wait, she's not listening to this, is she?''

The other's lips actually curled up in amusement, the ire for awhile leaving his demeanor.

''Oh I don't know, anything is possible really,'' he shrugged in a seemingly dismissive manner. ''Though you shouldn't fret if speaking ill of her was in no way part of your contract,'' he tilted his head to the side. ''It wasn't, correct?''

''Aah, I don't know now!'' Peter wailed throwing his arms up. ''There were so many terms that I could have missed something! Or just forgotten! Wow, that would suck so bad...''

''Well, whatever the case was, Hela is the least of your worries now,'' Loki clicked his tongue, drifting his eyes back to the instrument.

''Uh, right,'' Peter shifted uncomfortably. After a pause, he spoke again: ''Though speaking of terms... She, um, mentioned someone accompanying me?.. Sort of helping?.. So, uh, is that person you, Mr Loki?''

The man looked up and narrowed his eyes at the other.

''Make no mistake, boy, I will not be a child's guide. We share a common goal, nothing more, nothing less. And even though I would have preferred to be forced to become allies with someone more competent, fate was mocking as always,'' his tone was sharp and cold. Merciless.

_More competent._

Those words stung painfully.

Peter knew they were the truth. Ever since his encounter with the Goddess of Death, a colorful array of self-degrading slurs kept swirling around in the back of his head, reminding him each second of his _failure_ , his _weakness_ , his _incompetence._

He tried to keep them at bay as much as he could.

But hearing those words from someone else...

It somehow made it even worse.

''Yeah... I know,'' Peter spoke softly, his voice slightly trembling. He shifted his eyes to the side and folded his arms, exhaling a shaky breath. ''I'm not as strong as I wished I was. I'm not as strong as I _thought_ I was. Being here is kinda the proof of that,'' a mirthful laugh painted in misery escaped his lips. ''I failed, I know. I--I let them all down. And yeah, someone as you would probably benefit more from someone stronger than me. They would probably find a solution much quicker than I ever could, and this nightmare would be over much sooner. That lady, Hela, also said it's such a _misfortune_ that out of so many great people someone as weak as _me_ ended up in her hall. I know it would have been better for everyone if that wasn't the case. But it is,'' he clenched his hands tighter. ''It is and now we're here. You may be unhappy, but being angry won't change anything,'' Peter finally lifted his eyes back to the other, whose expression was unreadable. ''And it's scary. This whole thing is so, so, _so_ scary that I keep wanting to just run away and hide in some hole and wait for it to go away, being the kid that you think I am. But I'm _not_. Not even for a moment do I seriously think about running away. And that's _exactly_ because I'm not strong enough and because I'm wasn't more competent. I already failed once – I will _not_ fail again.''

Solemn silence enveloped the pair. Peter shrunk back a bit and once again averted his eyes from the man in front of him. His cheeks lightly heated up. Or perhaps those words were not meant for him – perhaps it was Peter who was in desperate need of them.

''You Midgardians and your heroism...'' Loki finally lightly huffed in response. ''You fancy speeches too much.''

Peter couldn't fight the small sheepish grin breaking through.

''Comes in the superhero package, I guess,'' he shrugged with a quiet chuckle. ''Though I've been told even by others I talk too much.''

''Words can be used as a powerful weapon if used accordingly. I assume yours mainly evoke annoyance.''

''Uh, well that's-- it depends on who you ask, really,'' Peter straightened, flashing his teeth. The tree's trunk was beginning to become quite uncomfortable. ''An annoyed enemy becomes more predicable, y'know. Not that I do it on purpose, though. Mostly, anyway. I think.''

''I see,'' he sounded slightly amused. His hands twiddled with the device. ''Aren't you a tad too young to be engaging in such fights, though, boy?''

''Oh my god, I completely forgot to introduce myself!'' Peter gasped as a sudden realization dawned on him. ''I'm Peter Parker! But a lot of people know me as Spider-man,'' he puffed his chest a bit. ''Well, that's not-- they don't know I'm Peter, but you get the point. And no, I'm not, I'm perfectly capable of taking on bad guys actually and going on all sorts of dangerous missions, so my age really shouldn't matter that much, believe me.''

''I find that a rather difficult task given your predicament.''

Peter clenched his jaw tightly. A sharp reply tingled his tongue. He tried to swallow it.

''I don't--'' he exhaled through his nose and turned away. ''What am I supposed to say? Yeah, I was completely out of my league and because of it yeah, I _died,_ '' the word burned his throat akin to hot iron. Peter took a shaky breath and blinked a rapidly a few times to clear the mild mist covering his vision. Finally, he lifted his eyes back to Loki. ''But you know what? So did _you_. In the end, nothing mattered, did it? We both died and that's that. Now we're here. So I'd _really_ appreciate it if you stopped spilling salt at each opportunity, Mr Loki. It's really frustrating.''

The man in question narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side a bit, adopting an expression between offended and intrigued.

''Did you just lecture me?''

Peter inhaled sharply.

''Uhh--''

Loki huffed a short laugh with a shake of his head, successfully silencing the other.

''My, what has my life come to if even a child is free to lecture me?'' the corners of his lips twitched upwards. ''How disgraceful. You are quite a bold one, though. It appears to be one of the more prominent traits in your kind, I noticed.''

''Y-Yeah, I guess it is,'' Peter offered a lopsided smile and slumped his shoulders back a bit as the tense atmosphere was seemingly dispersing. ''Now that I think about it, we really-- hah, we really follow some sort of formula, it's almost scary. I've read somewhere about a theory that we're being baked at some secret lab or something. That was a very interesting article really, I think I followed that blogger, he had all these arguments and “evidence”, it was crazy,'' he chuckled mirthfully. He cocked his head to the side and stared at the other for a couple of short moments. ''I don't think you have any similar problems, Mr Loki. You seem very unpredictable.''

''And yet, not too long ago someone told me I was becoming _too_ predictable. A shame I wasn't exactly mobile at the time.''

''That must've hurt your ego pretty bad,'' Peter grinned playfully. He chose to ignore a glare cast his way and instead added: ''Though I guess that person probably knows you really well, then.''

''Oh he'd like to believe,'' Loki remarked with a scoff, though it was obvious it held no ill-intent. Rather, a wistful expression washed over his features, his eyes fixated somewhere in the distance. ''I have yet to admit the possible veracity in his beliefs.''

''I guess we both have people we want to return to,'' a small smile graced the teen's lips. However, it soon dropped and instead Peter nibbled on his lower lip nervously. ''But... How- How are we going to do that?'' his eyes darted around the peaceful environment before landing back on the man. ''What now, Mr Loki?''

''That is--'' the other spoke as he began to rise from the ground, device safely in hand. ''--indeed a very good question, boy. Our charming curator failed to provide us with any instructions, after all.''

''So, um,'' Peter murmured and also tried to lift himself up. He winced – whatever he had poisoned himself with took quite a toll on his body, making his movements groggy. Hopefully his enhanced healing would work its magic soon. ''Do you, uh, y'know, have any ideas?..''

''At the moment due to the lack of information I can merely vaguely muse,'' Loki lightly shrugged. He approached Peter and held out the mechanism. Its previously dark glass ball was now emitting a faint purple light and odd golden symbols that Peter had never seen before were now displayed on the glassy part, spiraling all around its axis to infinity. ''Right now we know only this – this device allows us to travel through universes. The meanings behind the symbols, the increasing light, what its components are, and everything else can only be speculations. So my suggestion would be to gather as much information about our situation as possible before attempting anything else. Hopefully with enough data we would be able to formulate the next phase.''

''Right, yes, that sounds good. It's a start at least,'' Peter nodded as he finally planted himself firmly on the ground. ''We'll have to come with something along the way. Just shooting in the dark and hoping the next universe we end up at would have the stone thingie on a pedestal in a cave like in some sort of Indiana Jones movie would probably be a terrible plan,'' he grinned sheepishly. Quickly enough, though, an excited one replaced it. ''Though it that actually happened, it would be so _cool_. Exploring caves with actual torches, running from boulders, finding treasure - I always wanted have that kind of adventure!..''

Loki gave him an exasperated look.

''You're trying to convince me you're not a child and yet your behavior dictates otherwise.''

''Whatever, man,'' Peter rolled his eyes, never loosing his grin. ''It would be totally awesome and you know it.''

''Of course.''

He really did sound like he was dealing with an unruly kid.

Peter felt a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't the first nor the second time.

Speaking of dealing with kids...

''Uh, Mr Loki?'' he started out a bit uncertainly, fidgeting with his hands. ''We should probably add another point to that “first phase” or whatever.''

''And what would that be?''

''Well, um, I think my suit is broken,'' Peter proclaimed with a wince. ''It just-- It doesn't do anything that I tell it to do. And, uh, I don't think-- I don't think I can get it off, either. It's supposed to, uh, respond to my thoughts, but now it's as if it's shut off, somehow, though I'm not sure how that would be... But, uh, I kinda, y'know, need it to work, so it'd be great if we found some place where I could, um, try to maybe fix it? Hopefully.''

Loki hummed for a couple of moments as he glanced across the object of interest. Finally, he clicked his tongue.

''This technology, it awfully resembles Stark's style.''

And just like that, as if a wave of chilling to the bone water washed over the young soul.

''Y-Yeah,'' he stammered quietly, folding his arms and casting his gaze away, towards the ground. The suit felt too heavy all of a sudden, even if that wasn't possible. ''He, uh-- Mr Stark gave it to me a-awhile back. This is actually-- it's my first time wearing it,'' Peter finished with a shaky, mirthless laugh. ''First time wearing it and I already broke it...''

A drop of silence.

''I wouldn't necessarily say so,'' Loki spoke after a moment of contemplation. ''You most likely had no control over it. No matter how highly Stark regards his creations, I doubt he can create such which could withstand a journey through realms and universes,'' his voice had an edge of sneer.

''Mr Stark is the most brilliant person I've ever met – I'm certain he could create one that could do all that if he wanted to. He just-- well, didn't probably think it'd be needed,'' Peter immediately jumped to his mentor's defense, even if by the end of it his voice grew considerably softer.

Something still seemed off, though. Peter was certain his suit couldn't have just broken like that. It was more as if it... went offline, however that was supposed to work. This situation caused even more spikes of anxiety.

This topic was scrapping at dangerous thoughts, out of which dark clouds were already beginning form and invade his disheveled mind. Peter painfully understood he had to steer the boat in a different direction.

''A-Anyway,'' he lifted his voice up and looked back at Loki. ''I'm _really_ tired. It looks like it'll be night soon, too. Maybe we should wait until morning and then... do whatever it is we have to do?''

''I suppose a bit of rest wouldn't hurt. It'd be preferable if we found some shelter, though. I do believe I noticed a structure while carrying you here that may suit our purpose.''

''Oh, right, I didn't thank you for doing that! Sorry for causing trouble,'' he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. ''Didn't exactly expect to just, uh, faint. And yeah, that sounds good. Let's check it out.''

The building that Loki mentioned turned out to be an abandoned cabin. It appeared that it hadn't been inhabited for years. Moss was dominating the wooden roof, the vegetation was seeping through the creaking floorboards, while the front porch had a couple missing. All the windows were smashed out, apart from a small one on in the attic. Inside, most furniture was still intact, even if time had taken a toll on them as well. However, based on how some of it was askew, the drawers all on the ground and how there were a couple of obviously-man-made holes in the floor hinted that someone had rummaged through the cabin in attempt to find... something. It was probable it happened more than once.

''This place is the definition of “creepy”,'' Peter commented quietly as if afraid he'd wake something up. ''I've only seen places like this in horror movies.''

''While I admit it is less than ideal, it will do for tonight,'' Loki's voice was nonchalant. He glanced around the wrecked room, noting the moth-eaten couch and spotting a staircase leading upwards. ''The second story should house more adequate resting places.''

''Yeah, yeah, you check that,'' Peter waved in the other's direction, his eyes darting quickly from one spot to another. ''I wanna look around here a bit more.''

Loki chose silence and proceeded to ascend to the second floor. Each step's moans send shivers down Peter's back. He was rooted in place for a short while before he finally snapped out of his odd trance and began exploring the abandoned area.

His initial guess that people had quite frantically searched through this place from top to bottom proved to be correct. All the cabinets were open and seemingly only some papers were left in them, same for the drawers and a singular closet. Peter inspected the holes a bit closer – given how each of them were made at completely different locations gave away that the whole space beneath the floorboards were searched, too.

Peter didn't have to wonder what was the reason behind this rummage for long.

His own stomach twisted painfully once the thought of a meal entered his mind.

''Hey, Mr Loki?'' he called out. ''I think we should add another bullet-point – find food!''

The man didn't respond, but Peter guessed nonetheless he approved of his suggestion. As unearthly as this being was, Peter doubted he could survive only on air.

The teen was about to head upstairs as well when a sudden idea struck him. It was quite an odd one, but he chose to entertain it for now. So he retraced his steps back to where he saw a bunch of papers and began flipping through them. Most were handwritten in chicken scratch, some were about traveling, but there was a particular piece that caught Peter's attention. Among them, a magazine laid. It appeared to be gossip one, those with celebrities and where they go to gym, but Peter wasn't interested in what the magazine held. Instead, his eyes darted upwards and found the slightly faded date.

His suspicions spiked a bit.

Peter went back to the yellowed handwritten papers and began searching through them. At some places there were some dark spots, some parts were blurred, and all in all most words were illegible. But once again, his attention drifted upwards.

There were dates, and fortunately, Peter could read them. With each paper a nagging thought kept increasing in volume, until finally, he reached the last part.

Only five words were written that the boy could actually make out - _“There is no food left”_

It had happened four years ago.

Peter paused.

The air in the cabin suddenly seemed damper. Heavier.

It was strange – the words echoed in his head, as if someone had actually spoken them.

However, the eerie silence rang loudly, reminding him how alone he truly was.

Now that he was left only with his own musings, his circumstances felt far too real.

It was frightening.

His eyes traveled around the wrecked, abandoned, cold room. As if seeing every crack, every stain, every _detail_ in a new light. Or for the first time.

Peter's mind wandered back to the place they left. To the debris. To the ruins.

To the _dead_ city.

_This could have happened to us. To my home._

_And the one who would have been responsible... is upstairs._

Peter gasped quietly as his stinging dread clenched his heart and his throat constricted. He lifted a trembling hand to his mouth and shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head.

_I shouldn't-- I shouldn't--_

That didn't happen.

The fate of this planet missed his own.

 _This_ Loki didn't bring an apocalypse into his world.

_But he tried to._

No, not destruction--

_Invasion?_

That would have led to their end.

It didn't.

?

_Nevertheless, lot of people died._

Peter groaned in frustration, his hands flying to his hair and tugging it painfully.

His thoughts were getting mixed up. His _feelings_ were getting mixed up.

How the hell was he supposed to regard his _new companion_?

Some agonizingly familiar faces emerged from the depths of his mind and he could almost hear their voices, their lectures, their warnings.

Loki was not to be trusted. Everyone would have said that.

Of course, Peter knew that.

_A lot of time has passed, though._

He could have changed.

Did he?

_Could he?_

And yet--

Peter didn't want to think about it now. A headache was closing in, as if a cold metal spoon beginning to scrap at the insides of his brain. Was it from all these contradictions and uncertainties? Or maybe the poison. Maybe both. Maybe neither.

Maybe he was just tired.

Peter finally went upstairs.

''Um, Mr Loki?'' the teen spoke a bit tentatively as he approached the man in question. It turned out the second floor indeed had two beds in far better shape. Lucky them.

''Mm?''

He was once again inspecting the device which now seemed to glow a bit brighter on one of the beds.

Peter bit painfully into his lower lip.

Did he want to bring up his troubled thoughts up? What good would that do _now_? Or ever?

''Hey, do you think that, uh, the time here... is the same as back home?''

He settled for the more innocent topic. Correction – easier.

Loki stopped his fiddling and lifted his eyes up to his slightly unnerved companion.

''That's possible,'' he answered with a shrug. ''It could be that time remains unchanged in all universes. We can only assume, really. Even if that were true for this one, there is no guarantee it will be for the next one.''

''Right, yeah. You're probably right.''

Peter clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times before deciding to approach a vacant bed. It hardly compared to his own back home, but it was much better than the forest floor, for which Peter was glad.

The suit disturbingly didn't inflict any discomfort as he carefully laid down on the old squeaking bed.

''You seem bothered,'' Loki's sharp voice reached his ears.

Peter was silent for a moment.

''Yeah, well, you seem too _un_ bothered,'' he opted to answer quietly.

A huff left Loki's lips.

''I suppose that is the main difference between us.''

Whatever that was supposed to mean.

''Goodnight, Mr Loki,'' Peter murmured and turned his back to the man, curling into a fetal position.

In all honestly, he was scared of closing his eyes.

He was terrified of having no distractions.

He was absolutely mortified by the prospect of letting his thoughts wander.

The damp, eerily silent atmosphere squeezed him from all sides, limiting his breathing.

And yet, despite how heavy his heart felt and how he was beginning to realize there was no possible way he could fall asleep, a quiet sigh reached his ears and before long Peter could no longer keep his eyes open.

_That sneaky--_

~

In the morning Peter felt neither better nor worse. He couldn't remember whether he dreamed anything that night, but he did know his sleep wasn't as peaceful as he would have liked. Nor exactly real, but he decided to not mention anything to Loki. His body was, after all, grateful for the rest.

Peter was nevertheless quite baffled by his companions actions, though.

Both of them stayed silent about it.

''It's glowing stronger now,'' Peter commented as soon as they left the cabin and were once again greeted by the forest's air.

''So I've noticed. I believe its light indicated its power level. At least, that's the only explanation I can think of at the moment,'' Loki stated, carefully tracing his fingers along the stone.

''So like, it needs to recharge? Like a battery?''

''Quite possibly.''

''That could make sense, I guess. I mean, I have no idea how this thing works, but it sounds logical,'' Peter shrugged. ''But hey, what is logic nowadays anyway?''

Loki's lips shaped into a small lopsided smile.

''There is much you have yet to learn.''

''Working on it,'' the teen answered with a grin. His expression soon turned into a nervous one, though. ''So, uh, what now? Do we, um, try to activate somehow? How does it even work?''

''Well, those questions are for _you_ to answer,'' Loki's eyes glinted with hidden amusement as he extended the device to Peter. ''It is _your_ mechanism, after all.''

''Hey, no, wait,'' the other immediately blurted out, raising his palms up. ''I have no idea what to do with it! I know a lot about science and _mechanical_ things, not... magic or whatever this is.''

''However, it was in _your_ contract, so _you_ must figure it out.''

''Oh c'mon, Mr Loki, help me out here!''

''I would if I knew how. Unfortunately, traveling through parallel universes is not in my field of expertise.''

Groaning, Peter finally succumbed to his merciless fate and carefully took the device from Loki. Like before, it appeared far too foreign in his hands. Far too innocent, too.

''Okay, um... I'm gonna try pressing it,'' Peter proclaimed a bit sheepishly. Seeing the unimpressed look on his companions face, he shrugged. ''Well, I don't exactly have any other ideas, so... Maybe we should-- I should probably hold onto you, just in case, y'know.''

Meeting no resistance, Peter gingerly took hold of the other's forearm with his free hand. The contact felt quite weird, but the teen decided to not pay any attention to it at that moment.

And so, with a shaky breath, he pressed the glassy ball down.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kinda like the second part of the introduction, and the real fun will begin shortly!
> 
> Do write down your thoughts! It would mean a ton to me and I would really really appreciate it. I appreciate all the support I get! Thank you for reading!


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